The Curse of the Decider...Poor Tigers

Last night I was sitting down watching the Tigers when I realized why they had recently lost eight of the last 15 games. In an interview with ESPN the President picked the Tigers to win the World Series and do not worry he was not out of character he managed to mispronounce some names along the way.

"I think Detroit will be in the World Series," Bush said. "I think they'll nose out Boston. I know that may be counterintuitive, but their young pitching is great, and they've got the flamethrower Zumala back."

ESPN's Karl Ravech, who was interviewing Bush, told him the flamethrower's name is Zumaya.

"Zumaya ... Zumala, Zumaya," Bush said. "I think they'll be pretty tough."

The Red Sox had the Curse of Bambino it took them 86 years to shake that. The Cubs still have the Curse of the Billy Goat that has been running since 1908. Now we have the curse of the "Decider." After the 2007 Allstar break President Bush once again proved he could F*ck a junkyard. He took one the hottest team's in baseball heading into the break and turned them into the Bad News Bears. The "Decider" must have realized he cannot do anything right and new picking our Tigers to win the World Series would of course send them into a spiraling trend crushing the hearts, of all those, Union loving, Clean air appreciating, Blue Staters in Michigan.

Lets just hope he manages this Curse like he manages the Department of Justice. If that is the case I think Jim Leyland can overcome this.

Just one more reason to Impeach him!

Mitt Romney is desperate

Clearly Mitt Romney has little else on which to campaign, so he feels he has to hold up a woman's sign bashing Chelsea Clinton and comparing one of America's most popular politicians to a terrorist.

And by the way, what does that woman not like about the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA)? Heck, I didn't even know Chelsea had a Museum of Modern Art!

Letter to the Editor: Lawmakers bad employees

The following letter to the editor appears in today's Grand Rapids Press.

If you were your company's boss, and you had employees who weren't doing the work they were hired to do, wouldn't you get on their case? While Michigan continues to deal with economic and budget woes, some state lawmakers decided to put a two-week vacation above the interests of our state.

Universities and school districts are having to make budget projections based on uncertainty. Businesses considering moving to Michigan are scared away by the state's poor credit rating. Why aren't such lawmakers as Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop willing to work toward a solution to this budget crisis? What's more, many lawmakers oppose a tax increase. Never mind the fact that Republicans raised the gas and cigarette taxes when John Engler was governor, or that our personal income and business tax rates are lower than those of most other states. Or that a bipartisan panel recently said that new revenues are needed to get our state out of the fiscal and economic hole.

I certainly don't fault Governor Jennifer Granholm, who has worked tirelessly over the past few years to fix the enormous problems Michigan faces. Michigan lawmakers are paid a salary of $80,000 per year, more than state legislators in most other states.

What business do they have in the Legislature if they choose vacationing over working?

As Americans, we are the bosses of our elected officials. As Michigan residents, we must remind our lawmakers that they're not paid to fiddle while our state burns.

-- SCOTT URBANOWSKI/Kentwood

I humbly accept your applause. ;-)

Please read the other letters in today's Press as well; we have lots of good ones today, including another one that uses the 'fiddling while Michigan burns' metaphor! (There's also more illustrious framing of the issue here.)

(I should note that in the version I sent in, the paragraphs didn't break the way they do here. So if, say, the third to last paragraph didn't make sense, now you know why.)

House passes relief for college students

These days, getting a college education is essential for those who want to be successful throughout life. Moreover, a skilled and educated workforce is critical for the US to get back on the right track.

Key to this is making sure college is affordable. Last year Republicans in Congress voted to cut the Pell Grant and raise interest rates on student loans. Under Democratic leadership, Congress is working to remedy that. An important piece of this effort, the College Cost Reduction Act of 2007, has passed the House. Michigan Members of Congress voting for the bill were:

Conyers
Dingell
Kildee
Kilpatrick
Knollenberg
Levin
Miller
Stupak
Upton

Those voting against it were:

Camp
Ehlers
Hoekstra
McCotter
Rogers
Walberg

Blue = Democrats; Red = Republicans

Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chair of the House Education Committee and champion of students, had a few words for those who tried to kill the bill:

"...You don’t like the fact that while you were in power after years of flat lining the Pell Grant, we we’ve finally given them the biggest increase in decades for the poorest kids in this country. You don’t like that so you want to kill the bill. You don’t like the fact that were going to take 5 million middle class kids and extend to them a loan thats interest rate is cut in half? While their families are struggling to get them through college? They’re making sacrifices every year? You’re going to do this? You’re going to kill this bill? Are you proud? Are you proud of this amendment, that you are going to try to kill this bill? Say it louder."